A PREGNANT mother poured white spirits over her body and set herself on fire following an argument with her husband, an inquest heard.

A PREGNANT mother poured white spirits over her body and set herself on fire following an argument with her husband, an inquest heard.

Nasreen Akhtar, aged 28, was heard saying "forgive me" after she set herself alight at her home in Lea Hall last September.

Her husband Mohammed Sadiq Saleem tried in vain to put out the flames but the mother-of-two died on Christmas Day, after sustaining 65 per cent burns.

Birmingham and Solihull coroner Aidan Cotter adjourned the inquest until a future date after members of Mrs Akhtar's family expressed concern over a missing verbal statement which she is supposed to have given to nursing staff at Chelmsford Hospital's specialist burns unit, before her death.

In the absence of any new evidence, Mr Cotter recorded a provisional verdict of accidental death.

In a statement read out by Detective Constable Philip Caldwell of West Midlands Police, the inquest heard that Mr Saleem, who smoked heroin, said that his pregnant wife, had been arguing with him at their home on Whittington Oval, Lea Hall.

Mr Saleem said his wife then poured fluid from a milk container and had a cigarette lighter in her hand, saying "she had had enough".

Mr Saleem said he took the lighter off her, told her to change her clothes and offered to leave.

Mr Saleem said: "About four minutes later, I heard her scream and she ran out of the kitchen in flames. I threw my jacket and blanket on her and jumped on her."

Mr Saleem, who sustained burns to his hands, told the inquest how he called 999 and put his wife in the bath.

The inquest heard how when the ambulance service arrived, Mrs Akhtar was saying "help me" and later "forgive me". She was rushed to Heartlands Hospital.

She died of septicaemia, adult respiratory distress syndrome and burns.

During a provisional summing up, Mr Cotter said: "I am satisfied that Nasreen poured the white spirit on herself and she caused that to become alight. I'm not satisfied that she intended to die."